Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Normal to Extraordinary

Everybody has weaknesses. This is because the Lord has crafted us in imperfection so we can depend on Him to be made whole! Moses was a murderer and he led the Israelites out of captivity. He also delivered the Holy Law (The Ten Commandments) of God. As Christians this is our standard of Holiness! He had a speech impediment and the Lord chose to speak through him. God's word says (1 Sam 16:7 But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”) David was the youngest and smallest of Jesses's sons. However he was chosen to slay Goliath and to recapture the Ark of the Covenant from the Philistines. He lusted, fornicated with Bathsheba, and then murdered his mistress' husband. He was then eventually anointed King over Israel and Judah! Paul was a chief Persecutor of the early Christian Church. He killed many Christians and the Lord revealed Himself to Paul and he turned out to be the greatest evangelist of all time!

All these strong men of God sinned and fell short of God's glory. Nevertheless God still used them for His Kingdom. He used their weaknesses to His advantage. Moses slew an Egyptian in defense of his people, here he showed how loyal he was to the Israelites. David was small in size but he was a man after God's own heart! The Lord used his child like spirit so that He can do amazing things through him and build him up into a warrior for his Kingdom. Paul was an extremely bold Pharisee and enemy of the Gospel. By God's grace he was saved and God used his boldness to preach the gospel. The Lord entrusted him with the task of setting up Churches and writing letters in order to edify them as well as addressing problems in each Church! One of the greatest prophets (Moses) stammered when he spoke. The Lord chose Moses' weakness so that He can be glorified and that His sovereign strength could be manifested through him! Moses was the leader of his generation and worked with the Lord to deliver the Israelites out of bondage. He spoke to Pharaoh numerous times and had to speak to the Israelites on behalf of God and command them to move, set up camp, or remain. He had a difficult task before him but he listened and followed what God called him to do! Although they all had weaknesses they were obedient in doing what the Lord called them to do!

Sometimes in our lives we tend to think we must be the most righteous and Holy of God's servants to be used by God. The Bible tells us the exact opposite. According to the scriptures, some of the men and women of God were just as stubborn, doubtful, and imperfect as we are! However, God saw something special in each one of them! He took their weakness and turned it into a strength. He made a way where it would be infeasible for the natural man! This way everybody will know that only God was capable of doing it and His name would be exalted! Through God anything is possible, (Matt 19:26 But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible. As long as we have the right intention at heart (uplift people, edify, minister the love of Christ, and make disciples), remain humble and serve others God will continue to trust us with more gifts, anointing, mission trips, ministries, and souls! We may not be perfect but as we continue to be obedient to His Voice He will give us more responsibility. Jesus said (Matt 25:21 His lord said to him, Well done, you good and faithful servant: you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things: enter you into the joy of your lord.) The Lord wants us to use our weaknesses to speak to the brokenhearted and to grow His kingdom! Paul says (2 cor 12:9-10 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.) The Lord will strengthen us so that we can do the work He has set before us and He also uses our weaknesses to keep us humble so that we may only boast in Him! The Lord will use us as vessels so that His Mighty Power and Strength can be manifested through us! All wisdom, power, glory, praise, and honour belongs to the King and may He continue to use our flaws to bring glory to his name!

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Dont wanna Waste my Life

People may see me as the good Christian boy or some of my friends call me Pastor Alex! I find it funny but honestly I think people view me as somebody who may be doing this in my own strength! On the contrary every piece of my flesh would love to act a fool but the Lord has opened my eyes to his love grace and mercy! How could I turn back to the things that seem like they were giving me instant gratification but were actually killing me slowly! I find the lifetstyle challenging I really do but I know that there is a greater reward not only on earth but in HEAVEN! I know the truth and I know I have eternal life, I also have the opportunity to reach millions of lives through the gospel and to make a profound impact on people’s lives! I would not want to live my life any other way! No longer am I a slave to depression, no longer am I a slave to suicidal thoughts, materialism, and no longer am I a slave to other people’s thoughts and opinions of me!

Im not gonna lie though I miss being with friends and my loved ones! Im usually the only one going to Church on Fridays and Sundays. It’s a bit frustrating but its also comforting because I want to be the light amidst the darkness even though people don’t view the activities they engage in as darkness but its because the Lord hasn’t revealed Himself to them yet! I have no right to judge anybody, just 1 year ago I used to engage in the same activities and not see anything wrong with it! But the Lord allowed certain things to happen so that I could come running to HIM and HE could have total ownership of my LIFE! But now my Mom and I are the only Christians in my immediate family and Im the only young Christian in my extended family who we interact with. The rest of my family say they believe in God but they aren’t necessarily saved, I don’t think they understand what it means to be saved! Although they are wonderful people they aren’t Christian so it creates a certain rift in our connection! A Lot of my life revolves around Christ and its unfortunate that my Non Christian friends and I hardly hang out as much because I don’t do the things I used to do although some of us are still close! I feel like that intimate aspect is lacking! Yeah I know it kind of sucks that Im not able to share a deeper bond with some people but in obeying the Lord we have to let some things go, but I guess its part of life!

Everybody has a calling in Life! The Lord has given me the privilege of being an evangelist and a prophet for his Kingdom! I am not boasting in myself but only Boasting in the Lord because without Him I am nothing and there is no egotism in my Blood! But I do know HE has equipped me with certain skills to transform the world, encourage others and to bring CHANGE to this generation! Our generation is so focused on theirselves, their own image, goals, and desires; its nothing short of ridiculous! Nobody wants to stop and speak to the homeless man or visit a family member who's in the hospital because it may be inconvenient! People are walking around in chains of abuse, hopelessness, perverseness, drug addiction, lack of love and fear just to mention a few things; they are looking to get delivered without anybody asking! Sometimes they want a way out but are either to afraid to say it and take a leap of faith or just aren't aware of the bondage they are in! This is where Christians come in!

I personally want to build Community Centers for kids in the Bronx and travel doing motivational speaking! I believe the youth is lost but we can regain them by loving them, interacting with them, while being sincere and accepting! As for right now, lately people have been speaking about me being a Pastor! I don't doubt I have a pastoral calling, since many people have spoken that over my life! However the Lord has yet to give me confirmation for it! I love ministering to people and encouraging them! The Lord created me for a purpose! Even if I have to get persecuted I still have Christ in my heart and GOD as my GPS! I mus die to the flesh and all my earthly desires. I will proclaim His name Boldly in this generation until people understand that we are fighting for our souls! Its not religion its a relationship and as we read the promises of God to ourselves not only are we mighty in the Lord but that without the Lord we are limited! I was bought at a price and I live to please him and nobody else (1 Cor 6:20For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's)!

God is going to do an amazing work in this generation but he needs Leaders to carry His Promises and his VISION and to remind people of them! WE should love people unconditionally! Either way the LORD is amazing! I no longer live for myself but I live for the Lord! God has spoken to me in many different ways! WE must keep our eyes on Jesus and renounce any selfish thoughts or actions of the flesh while trusting in the Lord and the anointing that abides in us! In order to be part of the Christ movement that will shape this generation for the years to come, we must stand and Dare to be different and sanctified, anybody down?

Blessings,

ALEX

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Broken

Broken, Alone, Empty, and Hungry!

These are the ways that the Lord wants to see us in order to reach the depths of our soul! Sometimes I wonder why I feel empty inside and alone but I have everything! I have a family who loves me, two degrees, wonderful friends, and best of all CHRIST!

I finally had a revelation about why, after having a conversation with one of my Aunts. She had an encounter with the Lord after her son was diagnosed with Leukemia and she joined prayer groups in desperate need of emotional, social, and spiritual support! Sge gave her life to the Lord in the process and he got healed! If you don't believe in the supernatural power of God and have any questions please post any comments. She told me something personal about myself without me informing her, I was shocked; she was using the gift that God gave her through the Holy Spirit (Word of Knowledge)! Then she mentioned that we have to continue to fill ourselves up with God! While she was sharing, the verse about the cup overflowing came to my mind! The cup overflowing is getting filled u with the Lord , His promises, and His presence. As soon as she mentioned that, I thought about what I was experiencing the night before. I was feeling empty because I saw all these Christians in relationships and I felt like I should have been in one! But then I thought about the relationships I had in the past where the girls were great but the Lord had not ordained it and they became idols! If God is not the center of your life something else will become!

My vessel was half empty but it was not getting filled to the brim with the treasures of the LORD! If a cup is half empty it must be filled with something and that something has to be things of this world that made me feel empty anyway! The drinking, the women, and the clubs would fulfill me for a while but then it would evaporate!

So even when we have Christ there is still a sense of brokenness because we will always be incomplete without Christ or because we fail to fully inherit all the blessings in the kingdom! When we feel empty its because a huge part of our vessel longs for God! Maybe we need to hear a Worship song, preaching, Seek HIS FACE through prayer or read the WORD! Either way we can get filled up with more things of GOD! Thank you Lord for everything! You are ALPHA and Omega Wonderful Counselor, the Almighty God! The Deliverer, Provider, Prince Of Peace! Jesus is all we need: Col 2:10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:

Now lets get one thing straight the Broken are the Lost. People think the most Broken are homeless people! It is true for the most part but not always! Someone who has every material possession, high status, and educational degrees is also broken! Their soul is filled up with all these temporary things that will fade away! It may be difficult to acknowledge it but even the most powerful people who look like they have it all together are walking around with a gaping Hole that says JESUS and they dont even know it! The guy who walks around like he's too cool for school and is Mr. Popular may be the one who needs Christ the most but his superficial image prevents him from getting to know the Lord! This kid may be dying to meet Christ but have had a rough life and these barriers and insecurities prevented him from fully engaging in a relationship with GOD! Others have lost all of their family and have no where to go or turn to, but CHRIST! Although I pray that everyone comes to Christ, I enjoy seeing when the Real Broken come to Christ because they offer their whole bodies as sacrifices for the LORD to operate and USE THEM!

The homeless guy,the overweight kid who is ridiculed, and abuse victim is looking for the profound healing that only Christ can offer! It is not only the really downtrodden that need Christ, we do too! The Pariahs in society are the most thirsty because they have no back up plans and nobody to support them so they are looking for someone who will accept them just as they are (JESUS)! Many other people do as well and although we may not show it explicitly, the Longing for the Lord is still in our souls which is why we worship status, people, possessions (cars), idols, etc. Last weekend I went to a Bible study and found out that everybody there had a sense of brokenness! WE all needed to be mended and healed by the Lord! The next day we prayed for someones household and led a family member to CHRist in the household who was a recovering alcoholic and who the family gave up on and has isolated. In his face there was a little bit of everybody who is Lost and is in dyre need of Christ! His soul just crossed into eternity and so will many others if we continue to look for the opportunities to preach the gospel and love people! I spoke about the woman at the well in one of my previous Blogs! Jesus told the woman "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst". Everybody may be Thirsty, but HOW THIRSTY ARE YOU ????????????????